3rd man charged with holding 17-year-old girl in 'sexual servitude' in Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A third man was arrested and charged with holding a 17-year-old girl in sexual servitude at a Raleigh hotel.
Vincent Cortez Morton Jr., 24, of Wake Forest, is the latest arrest in the case that involves child prostitution, sexual servitude, and human trafficking.
Police said Morton's charges involve the same 17-year-old female victim and the same Raleigh hotel on South Wilmington Street where officers said the child was prostituted between May and June.
Raleigh Police Department previously arrested 21-year-old Joshua Scott on Tuesday. On Dec. 23, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested 32-year-old Lorenza Jenkins on charges filed by Raleigh police.
All three men are charged with human trafficking of a child victim, promoting from the prostitution of a minor, and holding a minor in sexual servitude. Jenkins faces additional drug charges as well.
Lance Olive, who serves on the board of Shield North Carolina, an anti-trafficking organization, started the Red X podcast to raise awareness about human trafficking. He noted a few clear warning signs.
"A common example would be, say, a 30-year-old, usually a male, but not necessarily, with maybe a 15 or 18-year-old girl, but not necessarily, can be a boy, where they appear to be somewhat well-groomed but maybe do not make eye contact and do not talk," Olive said.
Olive said the trafficker usually would order food or make decisions for the victim.
"They're taking care of them as property and investing in them as property because that's how they use them," Olive said.
According to the Salvation Army of Wake County, more than 4,000 human trafficking cases have been reported in the Carolinas since 2007.
"If there are people you know that may be getting pulled into this, some of the warning signs would be withdrawal from family, friends, church, community and extracurricular activities," Olive said.
NOTE: Video is from a previous report and will be updated.
